Tryon Arts & Crafts School is the place for adults to be last heard from between 7 to 9 p.m. on Halloween night.

For the second year, TACS will present live readings of winning ghost stories from the school’s national ghost story competition, “The Apparitionist.” Snacks, drinks and spinal chills will be served free and against the will of the public.

Competition this year was stiff, representatives said. TACS staff and volunteers turned thousands of pages and weighed-in to reduce the large applicant pool to a manageable size for the deliberation of the preliminary judges — Marilyn McMinn-McCredie, Susan McNabb and Katie Winkler.

The final sentencing rested with Head Judge Michael Zam, co-creator, writer and producer on FX’s “Feud: Bette and Joan.” The culminating Halloween night event features Zam’s choice of just three examples from the lot.

In third place is “Christmas Eve in the Graveyard,” by David A. Voyles. In second place is “The Letter of Congratulations,” by Nathan Helton. The award for first place goes to “See Me,” by D. A. Reeves.

The Apparitionist competition was initiated in 2017 to embrace and honor the heritage of storytelling in western North Carolina.

While the overall contest is open to a national applicant pool, TACS selects a local submission to acknowledge with the Heritage Award. This year, authors from Polk County, Henderson County, and Landrum submitted entries. The 2018 Heritage Award goes to “Lo’s Echo,” written by Mary Dill.

The event will take place at the school’s main building by Harmon Field on Wednesday.

Costumes are encouraged. Parking is available in the front and rear of the school.

– Submitted by Will Barclift